Washington Starbucks Worker on Night Shift Ends Up Delivering a Baby

One second you're a barista at Starbucks, the next you're an unwitting midwife on a patch of grass.

Rashelle Rehms was pulling her usual overnight shift at a local coffee spot in Tacoma, Washington, when a homeless man started banging on the glass storefront at about 1 a.m.

There's a woman outside lying on the grass, he yelled, and she's just about to have a baby.

Rehms, who has two kids herself, grabbed some towels from the back and ran outside, where there was indeed a very pregnant woman lying on a grassy slope.

"She was panicking," Rehms told InsideEdition.com. Rehms felt a little rattled herself, having zero experience in delivering a baby. The woman screamed, "I need you to take my pants off," which the barista did. And there was the baby's head.

Rehms told the mother to lift her hips so she could put the towels underneath her. When she did so, the infant "just came out into my arms," Rehms said. "All I really had to do was catch her."

As the baby, a girl, entered the world, the umbilical cord snapped, making an awful sound, Rehms said. That frightened the mother, who was shouting "Don't let me die! Don't let me die!" Rehms recalled.

Paramedics arrived moments later and clamped the cord.

Rehms handed the baby to her mother. "Those are slippery when they come out," she said, laughing. "I was just thinking, 'Oh my gosh, don't drop her. That's all you have to do. Don't drop her.'''

Someone shot video of the public birth and other strangers stopped to help.

Rehms tattled on herself and said she realized she violated the ubiquitous chain's company policy by leaving her post.

"I did have to sacrifice my apron," she said. "I looked down at it and said I can't wear that back to work."

When her manager arrived at 4 a.m., Rehms told her "I broke a rule and it's a big one. But I delivered a baby."

Rehms manager just stared at her. "You're joking," her boss said. "No, I'm not," Rehms said. "I'm sure you're going to hear all about it. But I wanted you to hear it from me first."

As it turns out, Rehms was not in trouble. Starbucks corporate headquarters released a statement, saying, "We're proud of Rashelle for her quick thinking and actions until additional help could arrive, and appreciate their quick response as well."

After her shift, Rehms went to visit the mother at Tacoma General Hospital. Mom and baby appeared well, she said.